Product Reviews

Improve and enhance the way you handle conflict in your professional and personal life with <strong>The Art of Conflict Management: Achieving Solutions for Life, Work, and Beyond</strong>. These 24 lectures by award-winning Professor Michael Dues are filled with practical tips, tools, and techniques&mdash;all of which draw on groundbreaking research and strategies rooted in the "win-win" model that has dominated this exciting field for the past six decades.

"WOW! I really like this course. I am slowly discovering the Professional courses and am very impressed by Michael Dues’ course in The Art of Conflict Management. Conflict is inevitable so it made sense to learn something about it. Watching this course was life-changing for me.

I took a Conflict Management course through work and with TTC together. They both enhanced one another. The main advantage of the course from work is that they had many practical role-playing situations where one could experience these principles in action. The Teaching Company course was much more extensive in definitions, principles, examples, and had many acted-out situations. I felt the acted-out cases were one of the best tools in this course (first I’ve seen with TTC). The political examples near the end of the lectures were good at driving home some of the main points in the course.

I wish I’ve taken Michaels Dues course a long time ago. Often, when he talked, I thought of situations that I could have handled better. I was even more amazed to learn that these problems take on patterns in the workplace (and home for that matter). I frequently see the problem more than the solution. A good example is triangulation (lecture 9) in the workplace. Now I can put a name to it and be more aware of them. Bill Cosby said, “Family is conflict and it’s something we all relate to.” A truly inspiring course if one is interested in the bigger picture!"

"There is value here, but, for reasons I will discuss below, I can only give this course a fair rating.

First, the positives. Dues is a smart, experienced fellow who has lived and taught conflict management for quite some time. He understands the topic deeply and offers many fine and worthwhile tips and suggestions during the course. In fact, if you're mostly after advice in sort of more a "how to" format, you're likely to be more satisfied with the course than I was.

My fundamental problem, I believe, is that I come as a customer from the old school with the Teaching Company, as one who is looking for courses "from the greatest classrooms in the world." This simply is not such a course.

The professor cites research frequently, but he rarely goes into much detail about the quality of the research, the science behind it, and the details of its findings. Rather, he typically attests to some broad conclusions to work he mentions, and the learner really has little foundation to assess the strength of the work he mentions or have confidence in basing learning on it.

What makes one especially anxious about Dues' treatment of research is his carelessness in accounts of history and the degree to which he too extravagantly credits the new "science" of conflict management.

Win-win notions of how to deal with problems with family, neighbors, and others were not invented by Morton Deutsch. There's a long history before the 1950s in philosophy, religion, ethics, and business from which we garner extraordinary wisdom relevant to dealing with these problems. And there was far more of value, including magnificent thought on understanding and solving problems, in Greek philosophy and thought. It wasn't just about the adversary system, as Dues implies. The foundation that is laid in the first three lectures is very shaky.

I appreciate the simple narratives Dues establishes for the learner to get an elementary sense of conflicts and ultimately how they might be managed. But I would have far preferred, as one should get in a more advanced class, teaching about complex case studies that perhaps Dues has either taught or experienced as a consultant. His short and casual mentioning the arms control negotiations or the Egypt-Israel treaty from a distance was no substitute. So, instead of going directly to the heart of more advanced problems, we get simple basics and a very top level consideration of major stories in the news. For me, as a student wanting the equivalent of a very challenging college course, this was unsatisfactory.

I must say finally that the professor's contrived conclusions of the story narratives he had created were sophomoric. The resolutions typically had more to do with the fact that gender fairness is happily more abundant today it was in the 50s. Further, the easy assumption that we're so much better at conflict management since Deutsch's "awakening" is again based on the good professor's hypothesis more than real research or evidence.

I believe the course was made in 2010, so the deterioration in conflict management in our social and political institutions was well underway by then. Watching the current Congress and Administration in action, all the screaming and yelling on cable news, and the extremes and factions throughout our society that don't deal with each other, I think a more grounded, more sophisticated, and more responsive course would have actually been very timely and useful.

I want to conclude, however, by saying again that customers of TGC who want an elementary course on this topic with guidance and counseling on basic matters of conflict, especially for conflicts with friends or family, might very well be happier with this course than I was and should consider buying it."

"Are you a "people" person? Do you tend to get along with everybody? When dealing with opposing viewpoints, do you avoid conflict? Then this course isn't for you. But, if you're more like me, this course is a real education. This course helped me view conversations from the outside. That is, it helped me understand how people interact and has greatly improved my interpersonal skills. If you have trouble getting along with those you disagree with, this course can help. I know it helped me. I watched it twice. And I will probably watch it again periodically.

Are the dramatizations a bit silly? Of course they are! They're not meant to be high drama and the actors aren't up for any awards. But the dramatizations have a point, and the point is usually well made. The professor couldn't have made these points by just talking about them.

I only gave Dues 4 stars as presenter to differentiate him from some of the better presenters. I felt he did a good job.

I found the Effective Communication Skills course to be a great companion to this course."

"As I listened it occurred to me how much further ahead in life I'd be, how much pain could have been spared if I'd learned these concepts in public school. Conflict is at the heart of life and the way I coped with it was learned before I could speak. What a shock I had at my own ignorance listening to this. Truly life changing for those who want change - this will give you many tools and likely change the way you see your life.

The sound quality of this CD is the best I have heard yet and the speakers voice is clear and consistently engaging."

"This was a disappointing series. Entertaining enough, but I was really hoping for more depth. The lecturer would frequently refer to "the research", but did not give examples of how one would study such a subject objectively, or references to look for this information independently. To much "self-help" and not enough science."

"While watching this course I was wondering why they spent so much time at school teaching me trigonometry but nothing about conflict management. I never knew so much research and academia went into this topic. Not only did I get lots of insight about conflict management at the workplace (what I got the course for) but also for my personal life.

Don't think you'll watch this all course all in one go. Each lecture has a lot of content, and a lot to think about. I think the best way to do it is one lecture per day.

"This is a fantastic course and strongly recommended for personal or professional use. The material is presented in a manner which would be of interest to the skilled practitioner, a mediator for example yet would be immediately useful for a person to use during their daily business and personal encounters. Additionally Prof. Dues calls upon an exhaustive range of research as well as his own professional experiences. This is a must buy for those interested in understanding and improving their interpersonal skills."

"I have been a customer of The Great Courses for years, and I've purchased DVD versions of many courses. This is the first one I want to share with other people. Dr. Dues gives an outstanding 24 lessons to give people the best available tools to work through conflict.

Several high points for me include the knowledge that there is no "cookie cutter" process to resolve every conflict (I think everyone knows that), but there are very tangible steps that people can take to greatly improve the chances of a favorable outcome. Another high point was the focus on moral conflict - I never saw this presented in this way before, and it was very clear. It was also very good to see how many resources are available to help people resolve conflict. One more was how to work with the aftermath of conflict.

The assignments at the end of each lesson were very good and helped make the lessons clear. This is something I'd like to see done more often in these courses. The range of dramatizations was good, but I found the real world examples more powerful to me. The many successful examples showed how to apply the skills in the real world.

The course is necessarily an introduction. This is a very good job, the world would be a better place if we applied these lessons. Future advanced courses would do well to address more advanced topics, such as more about the research of John Gottman addressing conflict in marriage, and reducing workplace violence. There is a wealth of information in the field, this class gives the viewer a solid foundation for success."

"Since conflict is inevitable in all aspects of our lives a course such as this based on rigorous investigation into the subject is invaluable. The historical review of conflict resolution segues nicely to current theories and research on the subject. The various staged examples were quite valuable in illustrating Professor Dues points. My only issue was that the final few lectures seemed somewhat redundant with little new or valuable information."

"I was a skeptical about this course.... I was not sure how an audio presentation could address something that is a behavioral issue. The professor did a good job of explaining principles and then illustrating it with real life examples including dialogue from actors. I was mostly afraid the lectures would be boring, and I was pleasantly surprised that they were not. They held my attention and inspired me to do better in my interactions with others. Practical tips abound, but of course the real challenge is then taking time after the lecture to review and implement the material. I thought the last few lectures seemed to be filling time, but otherwise the series was very worthwhile and well done."

"This is one of the few courses that has had immediate impact on my life. Not to say other courses haven't been interesting, they have. But by the 3rd lecture I was practicing specific elements in my marriage, with colleagues and even with some 10 year olds. It helped me to identify and analyze elements in arguments and to reduce the emotion I bring to a conflict. The use of examples with actors (audio) was helpful.This does not strike me as "scholarly" approach, and I didn't want one. I feel I definitely got my money's worth and I'm not even done yet."

+10points

12out of14found this review helpful.

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Comments (1)

Comments (1)

Maricela

California

Art of Conflict Management

Posted March 10, 2014

The Course has an interesting review of several scholars, but more than a class about conflict management, it is a class about tactics for warfare. It explains nothing about the legitimacy of pursuing power, but just how to get it, which in turns creates more problems than it solves. It gives "tips" on how effectively to harass people to get your goal, whatever that is, and get away with it. Also, the examples have hints of racist propaganda which coming from a Professor are unacceptable. This is the first time I have such comments for a Class from The Teaching Company, I have been a Customer for many years, but I find the presentation of this Class to be seriously short sighted, bias, and misleading for such a topic. I would not recommend it to anybody, and I find worrisome for The Teaching Company to have it linked to so many other classes.

"This was my first purchase from The Great Courses and I am loving it! The material is fascinating and informative; the professor is well-spoken and logical; and the knowledge that I have gained has been extremely useful in dealing with conflicts.

"Yet another course I wish had been available to me when I was just starting out as a young man! This is a course that I believe to be of potentially great benefit to all, whatever one's age or position. What a gift to be able to learn such lessons earlier rather than later!

Precisely because, as Professor Dues says, conflicts in life -- between friends, lovers, spouses, and in the workplace -- are absolutely inevitable, this course gives us valuable warnings about how not to behave (for this produces damaged relationships) as well as great stuff about how all of us can do better in managing conflicts large and small.

There were three things in particular which I valued about this course: First, the wise counsel about how deeply our emotions and beliefs influence our approach to, and management of, conflict resolution. Appreciating this helps us to more openly acknowledge that "how we feel" should not automatically translate into "how we act," although we have a right to discuss the feelings we have in a non-accusatory way.

Second, frank acknowledgement about each individual's worth in conflicts. Each person's perspectives, feelings, hopes and goals deserves respect; the problem is in getting to mutual appreciation of where both (or all) parties are at. Hiding feelings or issues will NOT help conflict resolution. Professor Dues, accordingly, cautions against settling for "compromise" when a collaborative gain for both (or all) parties involved is yet possible. He also states that we must acknowledge that, if we are to attain true "win-win" solutions -- ones in which the needs and concerns of both parties are satisfactorily addressed -- we all need "able and willing partners." Whether in romantic relations or in the workplace with intractable colleagues and/or aloof bosses, there are just times when we are not dealing with another who is both "able and willing." It is at that point, we are counseled, that we really have to make the decision as to whether or not we are willing to "hang in there" with a less than desirable resolution, or whether this might just be the time when -- for our own sake -- we must decide to walk away. The more balanced a person we are, and the more successful we have learned to be in presenting honestly our needs and hopes, the more likely we can make such a decision knowing that it is the only alternative left to us. Better this than remaining "a victim," the professor tells us.

Thirdly, I much appreciated the dramatizations imbedded in many of these lectures. They both helped to illustrate the points being made in that particular lecture, but also allowed viewers to observe in others' behavior the same kinds of mistakes (even rudeness) that we have most likely employed ourselves in the past. It helps drive the point home without making it feel "personal," although that did not stop me from groaning in recognition of my own similar mistakes in the past.

Professor Dues is informed and engaging throughout this course; I truly enjoyed being hin his company. This is both a wonderful -- and highly useful -- course offering from the Teaching Company.

"This course presents some important points. Even though the course is well presented, there is fluff. I sense that the authors and The Great Courses are committed to 30 minute duration CDs/DVDs at the expense of content. Nonetheless, I have bought two of these to give to friends with the caveat that there is some fluff. Because of "fill", I reduced the presentation to 3 stars."

+5points

8out of11found this review helpful.

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Comments (1)

Comments (1)

FrankW

Denver

Some important help here

Posted April 9, 2013

One further review and listening, I'll give the course a strong 4 out of 5. I am buying another copy for an important friend.

"Since conflicts occur in everyone's life, it is helpful to learn more about how to approach them and achieve a better outcome. I found that this course gave some very good recommendations which should help me in the future. The course content is well structured and the presentation by Professor Dues is clear and nicely supported by well acted dramatizations. Every lecture is also clearly structured by Prof. Dues with an introduction, the presentation of the topic, a summary to better memorize the highlights, an assignment, and a short outlook to the following lecture.However, inspite of all these positive elements, I felt overall rather disappointed and frequently bored when watching the DVDs.The main reason why I would not recommend this course to a friend is that I felt that many lectures did not have enough valuable content to stretch it into a 30 minute lesson. One could read the according chapter in the guidebook in 5 to 10 minutes and get the message as well. The DVD presentation did not have any more information than contained in the coursebook. As nice as most dramatizations were, some were unnecessary to make the message any clearer and just seemed to fill the space to bring the length of the lesson to the necessary amount of time. The same can be said about some additional explanations by Prof. Dues when he goes through a list that supports a topic. It is usually enough to give one or two examples to get to the point, I definitely do not need more than three (like in the lecture about moral issues).As much as the presentation by Prof. Dues was clear, it was obvious in the first third of the course that he was not comfortable with the presentation method and the changing cameras he had to talk to, which at times interrupted the flow. Also, his overuse of the word "really" (e.g. "It is really important that...") in some lectures started to become annoying as it is a redundant word in most cases anyway.The actual communication is an important part of conflict management. While the course spends some lectures on communication elements (perspective, emotions, listening), I found that Prof. Dalton Kehoe's course "Effective Comminucation Skills" covered these important topics much better. Since conflicts are often complicated by the way how we communicate with each other in a situation of opposite goals, I would rather recommend Prof. Kehoe's course, even though its primary focus is not conflict, than this one.I think this course would work better if the material was wrapped into less, faster paced lectures."

"(CD review) This course offered suggestions on how to manage conflict in both personal and professional settings. It presented examples in role playing formats that related to examples most people could relate to in some fashion.

Dealing with interpersonal conflict was a subset of communication, the discipline in which I earned my degree back in the 1980's. While it was not my primary focus or area of interest, I did study the literature back then and many of the scholarly research and studies to which he referred I remembered. Overall his review, summary and application of the findings to the real world was very good.

The reason I did not give it the highest scores had to do with his informal style of verbal presentation of the material. For example, he says "gonna, wanna, talkin'" and often says "um" and "uh" throughout the course. On the plus side this avoids sounding overly pedantic. I sometimes felt it was a distraction, though I might be more sensitive to these things because of my background.

This may be best suited for those who want more practical suggestions and a general review of the field."

"I am 3/4th through the 3rd lecture, and there is a whole lot of nothing being said. There are some concepts and people mentioned, but there is no meaning or point to discern. I am going to abandon the course if there continues to be only 5 minutes worth of real content in each 1/2 hour segment.

Earlier in the course, it felt like watching an attorney commercial when he said, "get a professional when you need one - get a good consultant or professional..." I stopped to think 'is this a conflict management course or someone promoting himself?'

So far, I would not recommend this course to someone wanting to know more about professional conflict management. I think most people would get more from reading a book or 2 on the topic."